Christmas on the Table

As my kickoff to the 2011 Holiday Blog Posts, I'm linking up with Layla for her "Tabletop Party."

There are lots of ways to interpret that,

but I chose to feature the two tabletops that we eat off of.
First up is the one we gather around the most-the kitchen island. I try to keep this area simple because we are usually spread around it and I need room for the ketchup and ranch dressing!

I took an off-white urn that hubby bought me at an auction for about $7, filled it with red ornaments (with some bags in the bottom for filler), stuck in my favorite light green eucalyptus and some sparkly berries. Then I tied a big red bow on it just for kicks.

Then I leaned this big ole paper mache ornament on it. I don't even remember where I found this, but it was one of those things that I loved the minute I saw it and I had no idea where I would put it.

I forgot to mention that I put it all on a tray. To make it easy to move if I need more room for ketchup and ranch dressing.

Next table top is my dining room table.

Honestly this room doesn't get much action

because I am too lazy to carry everything the extra 10 steps.

I started with a polka dot table runner, added a silver tray and gathered up a large reindeer and silver trees.

I added some greenery and different tones of silver ornaments.

I hung these "peace," "joy," and "noel" ornaments from the chandelier.

Fall Under Glass

Happy Fall y'all!

I'm slowly getting stuff out. I still need to do my kitchen island, and the downstairs mantle, and the outside entry, and maybe a little something in the bathroom. Yikes. I need to quit thinking about this.

Let me just start with what I HAVE managed to accomplish. I shared with you my fall mantle. Today, let's go take a look in the dining room.

When I was thinking about my table, I pictured using all my cloches with neat little fall things under them. I LOVE cloches. I'm always drawn to them in stores, even though I don't need any more! You can see some of them decorated for Christmas here.

But let's move on to fall.

Here is the view as you walk in the front door. I put a scrap of burlap in the center of the table then spread the cloches around on it.

To create a nice contrast, I put some of the cloches on silver plates, compotes or trays. I found the big acorn at Hobby Lobby for 50% off. The little white vase holds a little bunch of leaves. The smallest cloche has fake acorns inside it (also a HL purchase).

Here are some close ups:

By the way these gourds are just plastics ones that I wrapped with twine.

I love using twine about as much as I love using buttons!

Thanks for stopping by! I love to hear who come's knocking so leave a comment and say hello! Next up will be my repainted living room, the downstairs mantle and the kitchen!

Going Once, Going Twice...

If you've been around Toile in the Family for very long, you know how much I love a good auction. Since my recent "blued" dining room, I thought I share with you the things in there that I got from various auctions.
First up, Scarlett.

You've all met her. She's lovely and she was super cheap...$2. Really, that's not a typo. Now when I first met her she looked like she had a rough life in the fields of Tara, but you can read about her transformation here. Now she is as gorgeous as her namesake in her red garb.

Next is something that was a little more expensive. My curio cabinet, but I bought it exactly as you see it now (minus the stuff). It replaced my antique secretary which just didn't fill the long wall like I wanted. The curio was $190. But I think that is a pretty good deal.


On top of the curio is a huge red transferware platter. It was $25. I saw it online (which I will tell you about later) and went to the auction specifically for it.


I use alot of silver in my dining room. I pick up pieces at flea markets and auctions. Recently I got this silver tray and pitcher for about $25 total. I love the tray and the pitcher shined up beautifully!


Finally my favorite auction find(s) are these leaded glass windows.

I saw these online too and went on the prowl for them. I got the skinny one for $12.50 and the gigantic one for $32. I couldn't believe people didn't give me more of a run for my money. I didn't know what I was going to do with them, I just knew I had to have them. I love the big one hanging by the garage door. It always felt like you just "fell" into the room before. Now the window acts as a wall or divider of some kind.

I used to always just look in the paper for auction listings then show up hoping for something great (that was the case with Scarlett). But the discovery of a magical website opened up a whole new world for me. Many of you probably already know about this, but http://www.auctionzip.com/

You enter in a mile radius (I always go for 50 miles because I'm in a small town) then your zip code and wait for the magic!!

For example, here are some things that are going to be at an auction this weekend:

Wouldn't this be amazing painted white and distressed, then recovered with some great fabric??

I don't know what this is, but I love the legs on it!

I'm not sure how big this is, but I can image it holding blankets, pillows, magazines, firewood. The possibilities are endless!

Because I want to share the love, I'm going to link up with Crazy Domestic and share my secret. (Only because I think most of you are not from around here and won't be competition!!)

Go check out what kind of treasures you can find close by!

Cut a Rug?

I had a great shopping day with an amazing friend. She is one of the few people I can shop with. I can count on one hand the people that I can shop with.

She's one of them.

I don't know what my deal is, but I am totally at ease with her and don't feel guilty leaving her to go on my own-she's prefers it too.

Anyway, big digression.

I found a great rug at TJ Maxx today. I not going to say that peer pressure wasn't involved in my decision to purchase said rug. But now that I have it home, I realized that 8x10 is huge and it doesn't jive as well with my living room as I thought

(plus it is too big, I think).

But all the colors upstairs are the same, so I decided to try it in my dining room. That is where the cut a rug comes in. I decided to take a picture and see which way I like better. You guys can weigh in too. I don't mind honesty, just don't be mean to me :)

Here is the room without said rug:

And here it is with said rug:

You know is it too formal for the rest of the look I have going on in there? I do have about 4 different styles dancing around. Cottage, traditional, whimsical, and vintage but maybe the rug throws it all off. Let me know what you think.

Oh and about the peer pressure. I was pondering the rug as it lay on the table at TJ's, looking at the rugs underneath it when this other woman came up and started manhandling my rug. I didn't say anything, I just tried to inconspicuously look through the rugs all the while keeping my eye on her and listening to her talk it out with her friend. She thought the rug was too light and would show dirt. But then she said,

"Well, I'll think about it. It will still be here."

As soon as she walked away I thought, "no, it won't" and quickly rolled that bad boy up and put it in my cart.

Have I mentioned that I am highly competitive? Well, I am. But she may be right afterall...

It's All In the Details

I am a big fan of details.
Sometimes I get more engrossed in the details than in the big picture of the room.
In the case of my dining room which I showed you last time,

it WAS visions of the details that drove me to finish the room.

This was the first thing that I got excited about:

Here's what I did.

I found some "flour sack cloths" at Fred's (5 for $5).

I have read on several blogs about the use of freezer paper as a stencil. (I can't credit the blog because several have mentioned it-AND it is even on the package of the freezer paper.) So I just picked out an image of a bird

(yes, yet another bird has found its way into my home!)

and cut it out on my Cricut (using the freezer paper).

I ironed that baby on and painted in the bird.

First let me say that the freezer paper is awesome!!

I tried to use waxed paper on an earlier project-epic fail.

The paper stuck just a little. But freezer paper? It is a dream! Seriously!

Second let me say that some people use fabric paint on projects such as this.

Well, I couldn't find fabric paint or fabric paint medium (the stuff you add to paint to make it work on fabric). I really wanted to finish this so I thought about my "paint" pants.

You know those pants you wear everytime you paint? What? I'm the only one with those kind of pants because I'm the only one who paints things (the same things-like rooms) over and over?

Oh, well go along with me anyway.

My paint pants have little smushes of every single wall color I have ever used-because I always need something handy to wipe my hands on! And the paint has never washed out.

(Ask hubby about the Notre Dame shirt with a SW Latte paint smush across the top-wait, on second thought don't, he's still a little bitter over that one.)

Anyway, after thinking about those pants and because I was too impatient to wait for a trip to Paducah or Clarksville Hobby Lobby, I decided to use my leftover wall color (Wyeth Blue by Benny Moore if you were wondering). Love it!

Then I got to thinking about my two oddball dining room chairs:

Uh, no not those precious parsons chairs. I would never refer to them as "oddballs."
I was actually talking about the two chairs that sit on the walls that don't have the red polka dot upholstery on them.

I decided to pull a Miss Mustard Seed and use a drop cloth to reupholster those oddballs.

First, those (sadly) are not my chairs, they're hers, they're real and they're fabulous! (sorry, channeling Seinfeld).

Second, they are made from drop cloths. Fantastic I know. Go read about it on the link in her name. She's amazing. But wait til you are done here. You might never come back!

Anyway, I was using her chair as an inspiration but then I got lazy and didn't want to make the pleated skirt. Too much thinking. So I just stapled the fabric on.

I was going to do the simple stripes then I saw this "chain-stitch," semi quatrefoil looking design on one of my Cricit cartridges and loved it. Here is a step by step, but it was just like the towels.

Cut out image on the Cricut--using the ever cool freezer paper.

Ironed the stencil onto the already upholstered chair.

Painted using leftover "Scarlett" paint(SW Crabby Apple).

Voila!

And because you haven't seen enough of my dining room---voila!

I'm going to link up with Amanda for the I heart my craft cutter party. Cause I do heart it. Big pink puffy heart it. Maybe even big pink puffy heart it with a arrow through it. and a M.C. loves C.E. (cricut expression) carved in it. Anyway, come over there and get some other ideas for your craft cutter!

I'm also joining in the Dining Room party at Roomspiration.

Next up will be auction finds!

Livin' on Blues Power

This is my favorite "big" project of 2011. I love how it turned out and the good news is that almost a year later I still love it! That's a big deal for me. As hubby says, I'm easy to please, just hard to keep pleased!

I'm taking this link over to Thrifty Decor Chick for her monthly before and after party. Right now there are like 450 links on it. Wowzers, but I'm going in anyway! Stop by for a minute (or an hour) and see some othe great ideas!

Borrowing from Eric Clapton:
Bet you didn't think I knew how to rock n' roll
Oh, I got the boogie woogie right down in my very soul.
There ain't no need for me to be a wallflower
'Cause now I'm living on blues power!

Man oh man I am in love with some blues.

It all started with a chair:

Then there came a table:


This post could go on forever, but I am just going to show you the pictures of my newly blueified dining room and then later I'll bring you the

"details of the dining room."

Until then, just look at this transformation.
During Christmas:

Now living on blues power:

AAAAACK! I know!! I love it!!!
Just humor me and look at all these angles.

I even "staged" the room (which I NEVER do). It feels so much more like me!

Doesn't Scarlett look lovely next to this blue?

Come back later this week and I'll share with you about my napkins and upholstered chairs. I can also talk about the auction finds I used in this room as well as talk about the wall color!

I'm linking up with the CSI Challenge favorite projects of 2011. And also with Addicted 2 Decorating.